Machine for making wire rope.



' PATBNTED MAY 12 S. W. CORIASGO.

' MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE ROPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

In Jenaax I j I 7 89/1915 fifforngs. 7

lllllilllr llllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllll Q mlmumm No. 727,751. 1 \PATENTED MAY 12, 1903. I s. W. OORIASOO. MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE ROPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1902" Illllllll E UNITED STATES Patented May 12, 1903 PATE T- OFFICE.

M ACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE ROPE SPECIFTCATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 727,7 51, dated May 12, 1903. Application filed November 21,1902. Serial No. 132,284. on model.)

.To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, STEPHEN W. CORIASCO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olinton, in the county of Worcester and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machinefor Making and Straightening Wire Rope, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of machines which are employed for wrapping a covering of wire around a central cord or strand or which may be employed for forming a hollow wire cable. I

The objects; of-this invention are to provide a strong, simple, andieffic'ient machine of this class inwhich the spinning or twisting head will be so constructed as to handle a comparatively large number of strands or wires, to provide special gearing for turning the supply-reels, so that the wires will be associated smoothly together with a slight twist in the completed product, and to provide an arrangement of coaxing-pulleysfor straightening the completed product.

To these ends this invention consists of the parts and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying two sheets of. drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a machine for making and straightening .wire rope constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustratingtheoperation of the coaxing pulleys for straightenin g the completed rope. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine, partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the gearing carried by the spinning-head. Fig. 5 isa diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the spinninghead, and Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary views of the completed product.

In a machine for making and straightening wire/rope constructed according to this invention the wires are .drawn'from reels or spools mounted in a spinning-head. The wires are wrapped spirally around a central wire or may be associated to form a hollow cable. In order to prevent too much twist from being imparted to the individual wires when they are laid spirally together, a sunand-planet gearing is employed for turning the reels or spools, which are carried in the spinning or twisting head. One especial object of the present invention is to constructthe gearing for this purpose in a compact and simple manner, so that a comparatively large number of strands may be associated together. To accomplish this purpose in a machine constructed according to this invention, a part only of the stub-shafts which carry the reels or supply-spools are turned by intermediates from a stationary central or sun gear, while the remainder of the stub-shafts are driven by small intermediates from the stub-shafts which are primarily driven.

When the machine is to be used for wrapping a covering around a 'central core, the central core or strand is drawn in through the hollow shaft of the spinning-head. -1fdesired, however, a stationary former or mandrel can be inserted through the hollow shaft of the spinning-head, so that the wires will be wrapped thereon and then drawn ofi to form a hollow cable. The completed rope is carried from a grooved pulley down under tapered coaxing-pulleys,which are preferably driven at higher speeds thanthe rate at which the rope is produced. The completed rope is wound onto a reel or spool, and as the rope passing under the coaxing-pulleys will. tend to run toward'the larger diameter of such taperedcoaxing-pulleys this action will serve to automatically.straighten or stretch the rope as it is produced.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of a machine for making and straightening ,wire rope constructed according to this invention, F designates the framework of the machine. J ournaled .in boxes at the side of the frame F is a main driving-shaft 10. Secured on one end of the driving-shaft 10 is a cone-pulley 11, running on which is a driving-belt 12.; Removably secured on the other end of the driving-shaft 10 is a pinion 13, which meshes with an intermediate gear 15, adjustably fastened upon a sweep or arm 14. The intermediate gear meshes with and drives a gear 16, removably secured on the end of the hollow spinninghead shaft 19. By replacing the gears 13 and 16 with gears of diiferent sizes the spinninghead may be driven at proper speeds, according to the gage of the wire and character of product being produced. The shaft 19 is journaled in a bearing 17, and keyed to or otherwise fastened to the bearing 17 is a stationary central or sun gear 18. The spinninghead carried by the shaft 19 preferably comprises two parallel plates, and journaled in the parallel plates are stub-shafts 20, carrying reel-frames 21, removably journaled in which are the supply spools or reeh 22.

A machine constructed according to my invention is preferably adapted to handle a considerably larger number of strands than has heretofore been the practice in machines of this class. The machine herein illustrated is adapted to handle twelve separate strands or wires.

The arrangement of gearing for driving the separate stub-shafts in the spinning-head is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. As shown in this figure, the spinning-head is provided with four intermediate gears 23, which mesh with and drive gears 25 on four of the stubshafts 20. Meshing with the gears 25 are intermediates 26, which drive gears 46 of the remainder of the stub-shafts 20. The gears 25 and 46 are preferably slightly larger than the central stationary gear 18. By means of this construction, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 5, each of the wires or strandsW will be given a partial twist when drawn from its reel or spool. The greater part of this twist, however, will be taken out when the wires are associated together. When the machine is using the harder grades of wires, however, it is desirable that a slight twist should be left in each of the separate strands, as I have found in practice that this will cause the wires to lie more compactly together than when laid with no twist at all in the completed product, and this result is accomplished by the slight difference in diameter between the external gears 25 and 46 and the central gear 18.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 1, the hollow shaft 19 is provided at its forward end with a perforated disk 27, which runs in a half-bearing 28. From the perforated disk 27 the wires pass through grooves in the conical head 29, and the completed rope is drawn through a die 30 and around a grooved pulley 31. From the grooved pulley 31 the rope passes under tapered coaxing-pulleys 32 and 33 to a reel 34. The coaxing-pulleys 32 and 33 are preferably driven at increased speeds. As illustrated, the gearing for this purpose comprises a Worm 35, secured on the main shaft 10, which meshes with and drives a worm-wheel turning with the first coaxingpulley 32. Secured on the shaft of the coaxingpulley 32 is a sprocket wheel, which,

through a sprocket-chain 36, drives the second coaxing-pulley The coaxing-pulley 33 is connected by a belt 37 to turn the reel 34, upon which the completed rope is wound. A belt-tightener 38 is also preferably employed for maintaining a proper tension of the belt 37. As the rope passes beneath the coaxing-pulleys 32 and 33, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 2, it will tend to run up onto the larger diameters of said coaxing-pulleys, and this in practice I have found will impart the required tension or pull to the rope, which is necessary for straightening and perfecting the same.

As illustrated most clearly in Fig. 3, the shaft of the second coaxing-pulley 33 may be provided with a worm-wheel 39, which meshes with and drives agraduating-disk 40 for measuring the length of rope produced.

I am aware that numerous changes may be made in practicing my invention by those who are skilled in the art without departing from the scope thereof as expressed in the claims. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the constructions I have herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of a winding-head, supply-spool shafts journaled therein, intermediate gears connecting the shafts of the supply-spools, and a sun-and-planet gearing for driving a portion of the shafts.

2. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of a winding-head,supply-spool shafts journaled in the winding-head, a sunand-planet gearing for turning part of said shafts, and intermediate gears connecting the primarily-driven supply-spool shafts with the adjacent supply-spool shafts.

3. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of a winding-head, a set of primarily-driven supply-spool shafts journaled in the winding-head, a sun-and-planet gearing turning the supply-spool shafts, and additional winding -spool shafts interposed between the primarily-driven winding spool shafts and connected by intermediate gears therewith.

4C. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of a winding-head, supply-spool shafts jonrnaled near the periphery of the winding-head, intermediate gears connecting said shafts, a central stationary gear, and intermediate gears connecting the central gear with a part of the winding-spool shafts.

5. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of a hollow shaft, a winding-head carried thereby, and comprising parallel disks or plates, supply-spool shafts journaled near the periphery of the plates, supply spool frames carried by the shafts with supplyspools removably journaled in the frames with their axes parallel with the plane of the rotation of the winding-head, intermediate gears connecting the shafts, a central stationary gear, and intermediate gears connecting the central stationary gear with a part of the shafts, said gears being arranged between the plates or disks of the winding-head.

6. In a machine for making wire rope, the combination of ahollow shaft, a winding-head mounted thereon, supply-spool shafts journaled in the winding-head, sun-and-planet n gearing for turning the supply-spool shafts, a driving-shaft, and a change-speed'gearing connecting the driving-shaft with the'hollow shaft.

7. In a machine for making Wire rope, the combination of a hollow shaft, a winding-head carried thereby, supply-spoolshafts journaled in the winding-head, a sun-and-plauet gearing for turning the supply-spool shafts, a driving-shaft, and a change-speed gearing connecting the driving-shaft with the hollow shaft, comprising replaceable gears on the driving-shaft and hollow shaft respectively, and a sweep carrying an intermediate gear for connecting the replaceable gears.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of the die in which individual strands are associated to form a wire rope,'a

so that the tendency of the rope to run to the larger diameter of the pulleys willstretch and straighten the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN w. coRIAsco.

Witnesses:

PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE, J. ELMER HALL. 

